The stray fila brasileiro was found wandering the streets of Orange with a basket muzzle on his face. He was severely underweight and suffered from numerous infections in his joints and eyes.
The nonprofit Stella’s Hope agreed to foster Rio and claimed him from Orange County Animal Care.
A few days into his stay with a foster caretaker the 89-pound brindled mastiff developed bloat, or a twist in his gut, that is almost always fatal if left untreated.
Stella’s Hope agreed to shoulder the burden of the $4,000 procedure. With help from coverage from Pet Tales and The Register, numerous callers and animal lovers came to the rescue and helped pay for Rio’s medical bills.
“You would not believe the support of the community we received,” Candi Crawford wrote in an email Friday. “We got tons of emails, phone calls, cards, and donations. It was HUGE for us!”
Rio is recovering and gaining weight, Crawford said. She wrote:
“His walks are improving (now lasting more than 5 minutes) and he’s eating twice as much as last week (still 4 times a day).
Starting Monday, we’ll be treating his skin infection and hope to offer him some relief as his feet/elbows/kneecaps and all other pressure points are swollen and bleed
We were able to track his microchip information to it’s original implant date of 2004, and it was confirmed he is 7 years and 3 months old. Poor baby, who knows how long he has been like this, and who hasn’t cared for him. Why was he muzzled? Why was he so thin? And for how long has he been hungry?
We are so appreciative of everyone, and for those that had their own experiences with bloat, have lost their pets recently, or gave up their anniversary dinner or birthday money to help Rio — we are especially thankful.”
Bella also got help from Stella's Hope
The Cellar in San Clemente will host a fundraiser from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 in support of Stella’s Hope and Rio.
Donations will go toward Bella, the group’s newest rescue. Bella is a 5-week-old puppy that was brought to the shelter as a stray. Both her rear legs were broken.
Bella is recovering Friday after surgery to repair her legs. At 5 weeks of age, she’s incredibly fragile, Crawford said.
“We owe it to her to do our best to fix it.”
The group also took in a mother dog and eight 3-day-old puppies, and a litter of six, 3 week old orphans.
“The support from the community has helped us be able to help others in need,” she said.
http://ocpets.ocregister.com/2010/11/05/rio-update-starved-mastiff-improves/71608
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